"Mary the Queen" was indeed an Isle of Man car ferry. She was built in 1972 by Ailsa Shipbuilding Co at Troon in Scotland as "Mona's Queen" for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. She was withdrawn in 1990 and after a long lay-up sold to MBRS Lines (her current owners) at the end of 1995. She sailed for Manila from Birkenhead under her own power, calling en-route at Malta, Port Said and Djibouti and after a re-fit entered service in 1996. Earlier this year (2004) she suffered a galley fire.